01x04 - Running with the Wild Dogs

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This time
on kratts' creatures,

We'll stop at nothing--

In fact, we'll do
absolutely everything--

In our quest to discover
and explore the creaturenality

Of one of africa's
most misunderstood

And least-known creatures--

The wild dog.

And we'll give you
the truth,

No bones about it.

Iarriba!

Iandale, andale!

You ever notice
how many expressions we use

That include dogs?

"Mad dogs," "dog days."

It's crazy.

It's like we're obsessed
with dogs or something.

It's time to set
the record straight

About wild dogs
and pet dogs.

[Chris]
we're here in africa

On a quest to find
the rarest predator

Of the african savanna.

Now, we all know
the domestic dog.

They're
our good buddies.

Husky, pug, mutt,

Corgi, mutt,
rottweiler,

Terrier,
afghan hound.

Heidi? Martin,
how did home movies

Of you and heidi
get in here?

It's the magic
of television.

We all know
about domestic dogs.

And we've all heard
of the wild dogs
from north america,

Like the wolf,

Famous in legend
and myth.

A lot of people
even know about
australia's wild dog,

The dingo,

The number-one
land predator
in australia.

But for some reason,

One of the most
fascinating canines
in the world

Goes relatively
unnoticed.

[Together]
the african wild dog.

[Howling]

[Allison]
hold it.

They look
really wild to me,

Sort of like a whole bunch
of dogs rolled into one,

A cross between a pet dog,
a jackal, and a wolf.

Yeah, they do.

It makes sense.

Wild dogs, dingoes, domestic
dogs, wolves, and jackals

Are all members
of the same family.

They're the canidae.

And believe me--
it's an incredible family.

Check out the range
of the gray wolf.

He's the great hunter
of the north,

And if you think
he'sall over the place,

Get a load of this.

This is the territory
of the red fox.

This clever little creatures
have the widest range

Of any wild canine.

In modern times,

They've even moved
into australia and africa.

Who knows where
they'll turn up next.

Well, here's one guy
who sticks close to home--

The arctic fox,
cold climate specialist.

Completely different story
from the gray fox.

They range
from southern canada

All the way down
to south america.

Don't forget a creature can be
found all over north america--

The wily coyote.

And how about
the african wild dog?

We're getting to them.

They're the whole point
of the show.

How about
another african wild dog,

The black-backed jackal?

They're like the coyote,
africa style.

And then there's the dingo.

He's the number-one
wild dog of australia,

Just like the wild dog

Is the number-one wild dog
of africa.

But the guys might have
an easier time

Finding fido in africa
than wild dogs.

Check it out.

There used to be wild dogs
all over africa,

Especially south
and east africa,

But these days...

They're one
of the most endangered

And hardest to find
of all animals.

So if you want
to find wild dogs,

Where do you start?

When you're
a creature adventurer,

You have to know
where to look.

And here in
sub-saharan africa,

If you're looking
for wild dogs,

The best place to start
is gus mills' place.

[Martin]
gus works
at kruger national park

In south africa.

In addition
to studying hyenas,

Gus is a real expert
on wild dogs.

You've been doing
a lot of research
on the wild dogs.

How do you study
these guys?

One of the things
we do

Is get the visitors
to help us.

The reason for that is

In order to find out
how many dogs we've got
in the park,

We've asked people
to photograph them for us

Because, classically,

Wild dogs have very easily
distinguished coat patterns,

So you can
tell individuals.

[Chris]
gus is right.

Just like there's no two people
who look exactly alike,

There's no two wild dogs
who are the same.

You've got all these
wild dogs identified.

How do you find them
and follow them?

We put radio collars
onto one or two members
of a pack.

That gives us
a hone on them
so we can locate them.

Could we go find
some wild dogs?

Yes.

[Martin]
gus and the people
at kruger park

Have put a radio collar
on a number of wild dogs

And then released them
back into the wild.

The radio collar transmits
a signal that gus can receive

Using
this tracking equipment.

Tracking wild dogs
is tough,

But hooking up with gus
was the best thing we could do.

He showed us how to use
the radio tracking equipment.

First you set the scanner box
on the same frequency

As the wild dog's
radio collar.

Then you point the antenna
in different directions

And listen
for the wild dogs' signal.

The signal gets louder when it's
pointing towards a wild dog.

I don't hear anything.

That's because we got
to get out in the bush
to find them.

All right!

Make way.

When it comes to finding
wild dogs in africa,

Sometimes you not only
need people help,

You need mechanical help.

You go with gus.
I'll take the truck.

[Chris]
now, with the help of gus,
the tracking equipment,

And this helicopter,

We're ready
to start our mission.

The hunt
for the wild dogs is on.

I don't get it, al.

Why do humans need machines
to find a pack of wild dogs?

Like I said before, ttark,
wild dogs aren't easy to find.

You can't throw a stick
in africa

Without hitting
a wild dog.

Not anymore. The wild dog
used to cover a lot of africa,

But his range is disappearing.

Disappearing dog meat!

Animals don't just pad off
for no reason.

Someone's got
some serious explaining to do.

Where are you going?

You're not the only one
who can do research.

I'll get the word
straight from the dog's mouth.

How big is a pack
of wild dogs' range?

They range
over very big areas.

This particular pack
is in a region
of 400 square miles.

Wow.

Much bigger than
a pride of lions'
range, isn't it?

Far bigger, yeah.

[Chris]
wow. When you
get up this high,

You can really see that africa
is a treasure-trove

Of creatures,
all roaming free in the wild.

There's cape buffaloes

Stampeding through the bush.

Baboons running
and playing!

Giraffes ambling
around some trees.

And hippos!

This is amazing.

You can see
everything up here,

But still no sign
of the wild dogs.

When you're tracking
wild dogs,

It's always
a maybe proposition.

You might find them
or you might not.

That's because
a pack of wild dogs

Has such a huge territory

That where
they were yesterday

Might be miles away
from where they are today.

I'm not getting
any signals,

So maybe
if I started out

By trying to find
some of the wild dogs' prey,

I might have some luck
running into the wild dogs.

We could try a herd
of wildebeest.

The wildebeest is one
of the wild dogs' favorite prey.

[Martin]
a wildebeest is the african
version of a buffalo,

And the wild dog
can take him down, no problem.

These dogs can take down
whomever they want--

Strong zebras,

Healthy gazelles,

And any impala.

Wild dogs catch 90%
of the prey they chase.

Woo! That's an amazing
success ratio.

Wild dogs
are incredibly tough.

They each only weigh


But it only takes
a few of them

To pull down
a huge animal like a wildebeest.

That's amazing.

What's amazing is how
all the dogs we know today

Evolved from wild dogs.

How some of them became man's
best friend is even wilder.

[Allison]
no one's really sure why humans
started keeping dogs as pets.

We do know it goes back
before recorded history.

Some theories are that dogs
were first attracted

To the early man's camps

By the scraps of meat
he cast away.

The dogs kept
coming back for more.

Man found the dog useful
as a warning sign for danger.

When some ferocious creature
threatened early man,

The dogs would freak.

[Barking and growling]

Aagh!

Yah!

@@Ugh! Ha!

[Allison]
in other words,
from real early on,

There was such a thing
as a watchdog.

Over the years,
dogs became domesticated,

And since then,


Have developed.

We've got dogs
as big as the great dane

And dogs as tiny
as the chihuahua.

But what's amazing
is that with all these changes,

They've still managed to retain
their keen senses and ability.

However,
did you ever wonder

What a dog sees,
hears, and smells?

[Whistles]

This is chris' sock.

Let's let the bloodhound
have a sniff,

And now let's see
if we can find chris.

Let's go.

[Allison]
did you know
that a dog's nose

Is one million times stronger
than ours?

That's how this bloodhound can
do something we could never do--

Track someone down
by following their scent.

Their sense of smell
is so accurate

That it's even admissible
as evidence in a court of law.

Smell him!
Smell him!

Oh!

Hi.

All right!

Good boy!

That-a boy!

It's impossible for humans to
increase their sense of smell,

But with a little help,

It's not too hard
to approximate the rest.

Black-and-white goggles...

And hearing sensor.

This is how the world
might look to a dog.

It doesn't look
that much different,

Just without color.

[Engine roaring]

I'm hearing sounds
I never heard before,

Like the wings
of sea gulls flapping.

[Cat meows]

And the sound
of animals' footsteps.

The world
of the domestic dog

Is a lot more intense
than I thought.

But if that's what
the domestic dog is all about,

What are
african wild dogs about?

Something tells me
we're about to find out.

I've got the signal,
it's constant,

And it's really loud.

Dog 1 to dog 2.

I think I've found
a pack of wild dogs!

[Chris]
copy that, martin.
We read it, too.

Sounds like they're
just due east of you.

There they are!

African wild dogs!
We made visual.

[Martin]
o.k., Chris.
I'm going in!

[Chris]


They're about 2 clicks ahead
and on the move.

I'm seeing 5, 10,


That's a big pack,
isn't it?

[Gus]
yeah. It's a bigger
than average pack,

And, in fact, 21 of those
are last year's puppies.

[Chris]
wow. They're having
a great year, huh?

Oh, man. A hyena!

Hyenas are one of
the great predators of africa.

They hunt in packs,
but this guy is alone,

And the wild dogs
are going after him.

Oh, my god!
Look at that!

They're mobbing the hyena!

This is awesome.

We've got full
wild dog-hyena encounter.

As far as I'm concerned...

Nothing is going to stop me
from seeing this.

Determination.

[Chris]
oh, man! The wild dogs
really have him on the run.

They're chasing him
into that clump of trees.

This guy
is seriously outnumbered.

I really can't see.

They've got
him cornered.

Gus,
what are they doing to it?

[Gus]
they don't like them,

And they're giving him
a hard time.

Uh, got him
up in the tree there,

But they won't
hurt him, really.

Oh, he's making
his getaway.

[Gus]
they won't chase him.

[Chris]
hey, gus. I think I better
get down there and join martin.

Martin, we'll continue
the search on wheels.

One of the things
you've got to remember

When you're
tracking wild dogs

Is that they are fast
long-distance runners.

Instead of trying
to track them on foot,

It's much better
to use a jeep.

There they are!

The wild dogs
are on the move!

[Chris]
whoa.

I wonder what they're
stopping here for.

We found their den.

This is
the wild dogs' home.

[Martin]
look at all those puppies!

Chris, do you realize
how lucky we are

To find a den
of african wild dogs?

[Chris]
we've really
hit the jackpot.

[Martin]
look at them!

How could anybody think
wild dogs are evil K*llers?

But these dogs
look so healthy.

Why are the african wild dogs
having such a hard time?

What's going on?

Extinction!

I've been
nosing around, al,

And I found out wild dogs
are in danger of being extinct.

I knew that.
I said that already.

The question is, why?

Some think
it's disease.

Some think
it's destruction
of their habitat.

Some think they're in trouble
because of smaller pack sizes.

[Martin]
ttark's right.

Living in a big pack is crucial
to the wild dogs' survival.

[Chris]
when their packs
get smaller,

Their lives
get a lot harder.

[Martin]
it's harder for a small pack
to take down prey.

They'll have a tough time
competing with superpredators!

[Allison]
superpredators?

[Chris]
we're talking about
the great predators of africa.

The cheetah
has amazing speed.

The lion has power.

The leopard has stealth.

These ain't
no tabby cats.

Let's not forget the hyena.
He's no slouch either.

[Martin]
all these predators
compete with one another

For the same food,

And the competition
is rough.

Wild dogs also have
a newer thr*at--

Distemper and rabies.

[Ttark]
what?

[Chris]
distemper and rabies
spread by domestic dogs.

What it all comes down to is
that it's one dog-eat-dog world.

But that's the point!

For the wild dogs,
it isn'ta dog-eat-dog world.

They actually get along
and work like a team.

[Chris]
you're right, al.

Wild dogs use great teamwork
while hunting

And when it comes
to raising puppies.

[Martin]
only one female
has the puppies,

And she has
a lot of them.

That's how
they keep the pack big.

[Chris]
she has too many
to care for by herself,

So other pack members
help raise them.

[Martin]
it's this sort of teamwork
that bonds the pack together.

[Chris]
this pack is crashing out

While they wait for the other
pack members to return.

[Martin]
and when
they do come back,

They're pretty zonked.

[Chris]
but don't be fooled.

Even while they rest,

Somebody in the pack remains
on the lookout for danger.

[Martin]
their worst enemies
are hyenas,

Who k*ll wild dog pups
any chance they get.

[Chris]
but these pups don't seem
too worried about hyenas.

[Martin]
they don't know
about them yet...

Or about vultures.

[Chris]
vultures are scavengers.

They're probably trying
to steal food from the pups.

[Martin]
whoa! The adult dogs
don't like that.

This is one of the reasons
wild dogs always have a lookout.

[Chris]
looks like these pups have now
learned how to deal with them.

[Martin]
these pups don't want
to be bothered at feeding time.

Speaking of feeding,
I hope this isn't true.

Get ready
for a total gross-out.

Believe it or not,

This is how adult wild dogs
feed their pups.

The adults return from the hunt
carrying food for their young

In their stomachs.

How do you get
what's in your stomach

On the ground
where your pups can eat it?

You guessed it--barfing!

It's thick and chunky
impala stew,

And the puppies
seem to love it.

See what I mean
about total gross-out?

[Ttark]
total gross-out?

Ah, that's nothing!

What's so total gross-out
about that?

You humans get squeamish
about the littlest things,

Like--uugh!

I don't know.

Nah. I'll save it
for later.

I can't believe
he did that.

What's going on?

[Martin]
the pack's getting
riled up about something.

[Chris]
it looks like they're heading
back out on the hunt.

[Martin]
with 20 puppies to feed,
they have to.

Wild dogs are one
of the few predators

That consistently
have two meals a day.

That isn't easy
to pull off.

That guy's on
to something.

[Chris]
mongoose!

The dogs are trying to
flush them out of their holes.

[Martin]
hey, and it worked,
but it's too late.

The mongoose are off
to another burrow.

They made it
just in time,

Which is lucky because
wild dogs are amazing runners.

They can sprint
up to 40 miles per hour.

[Chris]
believe us, it's hard
to keep up with wild dogs.

[Martin]
imagine being an impala
and having to outrun them.

As far
as these impala
are concerned,

A pack of wild dogs
on the scene

Could mean
the beginning
of the end.

Impala might be able
to sprint faster
than wild dogs,

But they can't keep up
that pace for long.

Wild dogs, however,

Can maintain
a 35 mile-per-hour run
for up to 3 miles.

Martin, look!

[Martin]
ho ho! The wild dogs
are on the move again.

[Chris]
these guys never let up,

But I think I figured out
their hunting strategy.

The whole mob
is after the impala.

If the impala goes left,
there are wild dogs there.

If the impala goes right,

There's wild dogs
there, too.

They just keep chasing
their prey until it's exhausted.

[Martin]
then it's all over.

Remember when gus said
people got really freaked out

By the way wild dogs hunt?

This is what he meant--

Wild dogs don't
just eat their prey.

They devour it
afterthey break it apart.

It takes a lot of strength
to pull that off.

[Martin]
all this talk about
wild dog hunting is cool,

But we should remember
that wild dogs aren't mean.

What might seem
brutal to some

Is just effective
and efficient
for the wild dog.

It's all a matter
of how you look
at it.

Life is tough
on the savanna.

Wild dogs have
to make a k*ll

In order
to feed their pups

And keep
the pack strong.

They have to be
efficient predators.

About


A pack of wild dogs
took down an impala.

Now this is all
that's left.

Gives new meaning
to the phrase
"eat and run."

[Martin]
but after the k*ll,
the dogs return to the den.

After all,
they do have 20 pups to feed.

Let's follow them home.

O.k. So wild dogs
definitely are wild,

And they sure are fierce,

And, yeah, they do barf
and eat their barf,

But they're just doing things
that come naturally to them.

More and more,
people are starting
to realize

That wild dogs
are incredible
creatures,

And, fortunately,
some people are
doing things

To prevent
their extinction.

Yeah. Remember gus?

[Martin]
gus is learning
as much as he can

Through his research,

And what he learns
he uses to help the wild dogs.

[Chris]
there are a lot of people
helping gus to help them.

[Martin]
remember those photo i.d. Cards
that gus has for each dog?

Other people take those pictures
and send them to gus.

[Chris]
so if you're ever in kruger
national park, south africa,

And see a wild dog,

Take a picture
and send it to gus.

You'll be helping
the wild dogs.

Ttark, humans are helping
save wild dogs.

O.k., O.k. So humans interfering
isn't always a bad thing.

Maybe I just wish
they'd do it more often.

Humans are one
of the only animals

Who have the power
to help their fellow creatures.

Did you guys hear what
ttark actually said? Guys?

Guys, are you o.k.?

Chris? Martin?

It sounds
like wild dogs attacking.

[Martin]
it's only a tape recording.

Don't worry.

There's something
we forgot
to tell you.

There's never been
one proven case

Of wild dogs
attacking a human.

Hey, I knew that.

Chris? Martin?
Where are you guys going?

[Martin]
back to the den.

Wild dogs are so rare,

We can't pass up a chance
to see them again.

[Chris]
at first glance,
wild dogs seem

Like such efficient
cold-blooded hunters...

[Martin]
but when you see their pups
and the way they all get along,

You realize that there's always
another side to creatures.

We all have to be careful
to respect that.

[Allison]
dogs...
Man's best friend.

That's stupid.

Dogs...

From the human's
earliest days,

He's been one
of the closest to us,

Whether as pets
or in the wild.

Long live the dog.

Instead of
man's best friend,

It's time
we be hisbest friend.

[Martin]
the most important factor
in saving the wild dog

Is knowledge.

The more we know
about wild dogs,

The better their chance
of survival.

Countries all over africa
are banning the hunting

Of wild dogs.

It's one small step,
but it's in the right direction.